Wireless communication systems, such as LTE, WCDMA and WiMAX use a mobile backhaul system for transfer of data between different edge network nodes or between edge network nodes and aggregating nodes higher up in the topological hierarchy of the system. The mobile backhaul is the transmission network connecting base stations to other base stations and other high level nodes in the system like e.g. controllers, gateways, core nodes, etc.
Known communication techniques for transfer of backhaul data is e.g. Ethernet, Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy (PDH) and (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) SDH on copper, microwave or fiber. Alternative low cost techniques are e.g. WiFi, ADSL, and Free Space Optics. These low cost techniques are generally considered as unreliable meaning that their offered performance varies depending on external factors like weather conditions, line of sight blocking conditions and interference from external sources, etc.
The problem with unreliable backhauls is that neither capacity nor quality can be guaranteed over time. Therefore, unreliable backhauls are not accepted for mobile backhauling due to the lack of robustness. However, because of the growing interest in deployment of small (low cost) base stations, a need for a likewise low cost backhaul appears. Currently available low cost backhauls do not fulfill the reliability requirements for the mobile backhaul.